WHEELS [Kindle Edition]

Lorijo Metz (Author)

Book Description

For McKenzie Wu, discovering she has a superpower has been anything but super. Molecules keep rearranging themselves to suit her slightest wish, but only at the most inconvenient times. If that weren't enough, she’s been dreaming about an accident; one she’s had no memory of until now and, if true, means McKenzie is responsible for her mother’s death.

When McKenzie stumbles upon a portal, transporting her and her friend Hayes to the tiny planet of Circanthos, she learns the inhabitants believe she is the “One” destined to save them from H.G. Wells, a name that sounds strangely familiar, and his Tsendi warriors. But while her newfound ability might give her superhero status back on Earth, halfway across the galaxy it’s commonplace—all Circanthians can particle-weave—and if they can’t stop H.G. Wells, what can she hope to do?

With the portal closed and no idea how to get home, McKenzie must learn to use a power she does not want and accept her mysterious past, or risk losing everything—her father’s love, her new alien friends and the boy.

WHEELS is a sci-fi adventure filled with mystery and romance—a coming-of-age tale that proves it takes more than super powers to save a planet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"So many "Wheels" pulling this story! When I started this book, I was expecting your average YA novel, especially when I found a female main character. However, this book is far from your average book." -- Kindle Book Review

"The world building and imagination is intense and an impressive feat! It is one I know I'll re-read, which isn't something I say about a lot of books." -- Anna Clare of Pocketful of Books

"...the author has woven an intricate world with fascinating characters and an original story that kept me turning the pages." -- RJ Lanning of SFNetcast

"...I found myself rooting for McKenzie from the very beginning. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down I had to know what happened next. This is a great science fiction story for both young adults and adults." -- Elizabeth Marie of Read Review Smile

"This was a great young adult novel. I really enjoyed that the main character was not your everyday protagonist but a wheel-chair bound young lady who was perfectly capable of changing her future and those of her friends." -- Szoch of The LL Book Review

About the Author

Lorijo Metz lives with her husband and little brown dog in a hamlet just north of Chicago, IL. Though she has a degree in acting and directing, she much prefers the anonymity of the keyboard, allowing her characters to revel in the spotlight while she sits quietly sipping tea or coffee, nibbling on cookies, and dreaming up ways to complicate their lives. Lorijo is the author of the picture book Floridius Bloom and the Planet of Gloom, illustrated by Matt Phelan and published by Dial Books for Young Readers; as well as the author of over 25 nonfiction, educational books for kids, published by Powerkids Press. WHEELS is her first YA novel and first venture into indie publishing. In 2013, Lorijo will have another first as she makes her début as a lyricist on children’s singer and songwriter, Owen Duggan’s new cd, Puppy Dog Jig, for which she wrote the lyrics for the title track. To find out more about Lorijo, visit her at: www.Lorijometz.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 558 KB
• Print Length: 426 pages
• Publisher: Ganesh Publishing; 2 edition (December 13, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007RGPGH2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,427 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! May 10, 2012

By Anna Clare

Format:Kindle Edition

The world building and imagination that went into the creation of this book is astounding. The author creates a whole new planet with two alien races and a whole host of colourful characters! There are alien foods, alien sports, alien foliage, alien customs and even an alien religion. The aliens believe in the Great Creator who, instead of living in the sky, lives in the Lapis Sea. They call their creator 'Concentric' which was quite funny because instead of saying 'Oh God' they say 'Concentric help us!' and invoke Concentric when in distress, how we would with God. It was fascinating to read and I loved the world the author created. I especially loved the 'poonchi' which is similar to a dog but shaped like a bowling ball with spikes. It sounds adorable and I want one. I also really loved a food they had- a kind of berry which taste nice or horrible depending on your mood. I thought that was very Harry Potter-esque and something you would get from Honeydukes!

The way the author writes about time travel and travelling through space is really original and not cliche, and is very unearthly and unusual! It is rare to find a new way of describing time travel as it has already been written about so much before, so I thought that was really interesting. I also loved the concept of 'particle weaving' which is being able to move particles into new shapes using your mind. I would love to have that power, and have always wanted something along those lines since I read 'Matilda' as a child! I think Green Lantern also does something similar so maybe he comes from Circanthos too!

I loved the main characters. McKenzie is really likeable; even more so because she is quite flawed, especially at the beginning, and matures throughout the novel. She starts off very independent, feisty, obnoxious and bossy and she becomes a lot more soft, vulnerable and more of a team player. Her strange mixture of looks also make her stand out; she is Chinese with bright red hair and emerald eyes. The boy she travels with, Rudy Hayes, is quite adorable. His lop-sided grin and cheeky banter with McKenzie made him a believable love interest and their flirtation is very cute and not over the top. I probably would've liked more of it, but I was glad the author didn't make it overly smushy or cheesy.

I really loved the format of the book. It is written from many different perspectives: we have third person from McKenzie, Revolvos, Hayes and Provost, then we have Julianne Well's diary, Well's diary, Krumm's log, and the interview transcripts of Krumm interrogating the characters. I'm sure I've missed some out too! This book has so many different elements and I absolutely loved that- I like it when authors do something different with the way they present the story and it made me want to keep reading.

It's funny that this the second book I read this year that featured H.G Wells as a main character! The first was 'Map of Time' by Felix Palmer which I absolutely detested...it was awful. I'm happy to say that this book was so much better, even though H.G Wells is very villainous in this one! He is very aggressive and is definitely working along the principles of the Great British Empire in the way he tryies to civilise the primitive Tsendi people. Other characters provide the comic relief to balance the meanness and cruelty of Wells and his henchmen: McKenzie's father travelling with Revolvos and Provost (two aliens) is hilarious- they all bicker and banter and vie to be the most pompous!

There are not many downsides to this book but there were a few negatives. I did find the time travel stuff a bit too confusing at first and got confused between cortexes and gates and felt things got a bit blurred and my eyes started glazing over! It all gets heaped on pretty quickly too so my brain couldn't process it. It does feel like a bit of a sci-fi info dump at times, where names and places and character names all sound the same and I found it an information overload. However, this is a very small part of the novel and, as the book goes on, it became a lot clearer in my head! However, all this is probably more the fault of my brain than the author and because I don't read very much sci-fi!

Overall, I loved most aspects of this book and thought it was brilliantly written. It is well-paced and interesting and the characters and dialogue are believable (even though some have wheels!) The world building and imagination is intense and an impressive feat! It is one I know I'll re-read, which isn't something I say about a lot of books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wowed by Wheels! April 6, 2012

By S. Slade

Format:Kindle Edition

Lorijo Metz created such an amazing world in Wheels, I never wanted to leave! Right from the start, I found myself rooting for McKenzie and wishing I could particle weave too. And I'll never forget the memorable characters I discovered on Circanthos. This alien adventure is the perfect read for sci-fi lovers and all readers who enjoy an exciting story!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars HOOKED FROM THE START... April 5, 2012

By Tina Purcell Schwartz

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

While I'm not normally a Sci-Fi fan, this book hooked me and reeled me into the tightly woven story. It was amazing how Metz weaved the story as easily as McKenzie weaves particles! Hayes is a great character, too, creating that bond of friendship everyone strives to have some day. I think this story is outstanding, not only for kids, but for adults too. You'll enjoy this story from beginning to end, and won't be able to put it down! I know I couldn't. Kudos to the author, who is a force to be reckoned with. LOVED Wheels, and TOTALLY recommend it to friends, family, and everyone I meet. Great job!!!

More About the Author

Lorijo Metz lives with her husband and little brown dog in a hamlet just north of Chicago, IL. Though she has a degree in acting and directing, she much prefers the anonymity of the keyboard, allowing her characters to revel in the spotlight while she sits quietly sipping tea or coffee, nibbling on cookies, and dreaming up ways to complicate their lives.

In 2013, Lorijo will make her début as a lyricist on children's singer and songwriter, Owen Duggan's new cd, Puppy Dog Jig, for which she wrote the lyrics for the title track.

Also, in 2013, Lorijo joined the staff of The Purcell Agency, a literary agency that specializes in Children and Teen literature. She is currently a Jr. Literary agent in training. Visit www.thepurchellagency.com to find out more about submissions.

You can find out more about Lorijo by visiting one of these sites:

My Website & Blog: Lorijometz.com
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/ScifiWriterMom
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorijoMetz
You can also find me on Goodreads.com

By the way... WHEELS, Lorijo's YA, Science Fiction, Adventure, which reviewers say is, "Brilliant," "Whacky, loads of fun," and "...one I know I'll reread," is now on Storycasting.com. Love the book? Go to StoryCasting.com, search for WHEELS, and cast it with your favorite actors!

Love, Light, and Laughter :)

Lorijo Metz